Uncovering decolonial pedagogies for learning agroecological transitions: comparative analysis of South America cases
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In: Global Environmental Change, Vol. 94, 103042, 10.2025.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Uncovering decolonial pedagogies for learning agroecological transitions
T2 - comparative analysis of South America cases
AU - Bonatti, Michelle
AU - Reynaldo, Renata Guimarães
AU - Martín-López, Berta
AU - Bolivar, Sergio
AU - Cordero-Fernández, María
AU - Miguel, Giovanna Chavez
AU - Martin, Adriana
AU - Hämmerle, Janika
AU - Schröter, Barbara
AU - Erismann, Carla
AU - da Silva Rosa, Teresa
AU - Hellin, Jon
AU - Schlindwein, Izabella
AU - Osorio, Álvaro Acevedo
AU - Medina, Leonardo
AU - Baldivieso, Carla
AU - Eufemia, Luca
AU - Jacobi, Johanna
AU - Lobo Guerrero, Ana Maria
AU - Sieber, Stefan
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
PY - 2025/10
Y1 - 2025/10
N2 - Agroecological transitions represent strategic pathways for transforming agricultural systems to meet urgent global sustainability goals. These transitions encompass fundamental changes in social-ecological relationships, knowledge systems, and power dynamics within food systems. However, the mechanisms facilitating such transitions remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding the diversity and efficacy of pedagogical models employed in existing agroecological initiatives. This knowledge gap is especially pronounced within Global South contexts, especially Latin America, where decolonial approaches hold particular relevance and tradition within effective agroecology initiatives. Using a decolonial lens, this study explores the pedagogical models used in community-led agroecological initiatives in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and workshops (n 140), alongside participant observations, we applied a qualitative archetypes analysis to examine three community-led agroecology initiatives. We identified three distinct but interconnected contextual narratives: a. Living Pedagogies; b. Resistance Pedagogies; and c. Hybrid Pedagogies. Despite these different contextual narratives, they share clear patterns, which allowed us to identify one major archetype − the South pedagogies archetype. The decolonial pedagogy found can be fundamental to accelerate agroecological transitions. Traditional communities in Colombia and Peru have preserved and evolved their agroecology knowledge systems through generations of collective learning, offering profound insights into sustainable food production that transcend the limitations of Western scientific methodologies. In parallel, decolonial pedagogies in the Brazilian case were essential to promote urban agroecological transition that started during the 2000s. These findings inform agroecological transition development based on learning processes that value multiple ways of being.
AB - Agroecological transitions represent strategic pathways for transforming agricultural systems to meet urgent global sustainability goals. These transitions encompass fundamental changes in social-ecological relationships, knowledge systems, and power dynamics within food systems. However, the mechanisms facilitating such transitions remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding the diversity and efficacy of pedagogical models employed in existing agroecological initiatives. This knowledge gap is especially pronounced within Global South contexts, especially Latin America, where decolonial approaches hold particular relevance and tradition within effective agroecology initiatives. Using a decolonial lens, this study explores the pedagogical models used in community-led agroecological initiatives in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and workshops (n 140), alongside participant observations, we applied a qualitative archetypes analysis to examine three community-led agroecology initiatives. We identified three distinct but interconnected contextual narratives: a. Living Pedagogies; b. Resistance Pedagogies; and c. Hybrid Pedagogies. Despite these different contextual narratives, they share clear patterns, which allowed us to identify one major archetype − the South pedagogies archetype. The decolonial pedagogy found can be fundamental to accelerate agroecological transitions. Traditional communities in Colombia and Peru have preserved and evolved their agroecology knowledge systems through generations of collective learning, offering profound insights into sustainable food production that transcend the limitations of Western scientific methodologies. In parallel, decolonial pedagogies in the Brazilian case were essential to promote urban agroecological transition that started during the 2000s. These findings inform agroecological transition development based on learning processes that value multiple ways of being.
KW - Co-creation of knowledge
KW - Decolonial practices
KW - Endogenous social learning
KW - Locally-led agriculture initiatives
KW - Biology
KW - Ecosystems Research
KW - Environmental Governance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105010588917&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103042
DO - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103042
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:105010588917
VL - 94
JO - Global Environmental Change
JF - Global Environmental Change
SN - 0959-3780
M1 - 103042
ER -